Singapore: Concern over the Chinese military's "increasingly risky and coercive activities" in Asia was expressed by the Pentagon on Sunday.

Brigadier General Pat Ryder, a spokesman for the Pentagon, said that the US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and he were attending a security conference in Singapore. "We remain concerned about the PLA's increasingly risky and coercive activities in the region, including in recent days," he added.

The Asia-Pacific region would be thrown into a "whirlpool" of conflict, warned China's defence minister on Sunday, if "NATO-like" military alliances were formed.

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Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu said at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore that attempts to push for NATO-like (alliances) in the Asia-Pacific are essentially a way of kidnapping regional countries and escalating conflicts and confrontations, which will only send the region into a whirlpool of disputes and conflicts.

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"Today's Asia-Pacific region needs inclusive, open cooperation rather than forming small cliques. We must not lose sight of the severe catastrophes that the two world wars brought to the people of all nations, and we must prevent a repeat of this tragic history.

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Li did not specifically mention any nation, but it was clear that she was alluding to the US, which has been strengthening its regional alliances and partnerships.

The United States is a part of the AUKUS alliance, along with Australia and the United Kingdom.